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Air · Drone / system

Corvo X

Australian small VTOL reconnaissance aircraft selected under the Army’s DEF129 programme, with deliveries reported by the supplier.

Role & capabilities

  • Reconnaissance aircraft
Order / production commitmentOrder / production commitment
Primary domain
Air
System type
Reconnaissance aircraft
Developer / manufacturer
SYPAQ
Origin / production countries
Australia
Other names
No additional names recorded
Variants / configurations
See the named configuration and evidence notes
Operators / programme customers
Australian Army — DEF129 procurement; supplier reports deliveries

Evidence & current status

Public sources establish the programme; unspecified capabilities, configurations and inventories are not inferred.

Corvo X is SYPAQ’s small reconnaissance aircraft using a thrust-vectoring vertical-take-off configuration. It is a different system from the company’s expendable PPDS logistics aircraft. The supplier emphasises portability, observation payloads and a communications architecture suited to small military units. The public overview does not provide a full, versioned numeric performance table.

SYPAQ announced a contract under the Australian Army’s DEF129 programme in July 2024. The agreement included a multi-year support arrangement as well as aircraft production. In April 2025, the company stated that deliveries into DEF129 were under way and announced an intention to make Corvo X available to export customers in 2026.

That sequence gives the programme stronger evidence than a concept illustration, but an export-readiness announcement is not a list of completed foreign sales. Nor does a delivery statement establish fleet-wide operational capability or the configuration of every aircraft. The catalogue consequently records the Australian procurement and supplier-reported delivery milestones, while leaving unverified endurance, mass and customer totals unfilled. General family claims are not substituted for aircraft-specific acceptance or test results.

Sourced specifications

Figures apply to the named configuration. Maximum values are not guaranteed operating performance.

SpecificationReported valueContext & source
AirframeSmall portable VTOL reconnaissance aircraftSupplier description; full numeric baseline not disclosed. Source ↗
Launch / recoveryThrust-vectoring VTOLManufacturer-described configuration. Source ↗
PropulsionNot established from the reviewed public sources.Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗
DimensionsNot established from the reviewed public sources.Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗
MassNot established from the reviewed public sources.Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗
EnduranceNot established from the reviewed public sources.Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗
RangeNot established from the reviewed public sources.Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗
SpeedNot established from the reviewed public sources.Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗
AltitudeNot established from the reviewed public sources.Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗
PayloadNot established from the reviewed public sources.Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗
SensorsNot established from the reviewed public sources.Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗
Communications / navigationMesh-radio communications and autonomous flight functionsSpecific delivered configurations not separately established. Source ↗

Documented milestones

  1. Deliveries reported

    SYPAQ described delivery into DEF129 and planned export availability in 2026.

    Read the announcement ↗
  2. Australian Army contract

    SYPAQ announced Corvo X selection under DEF129.

    Read the announcement ↗

Publication history

  • — Added a sourced global catalogue profile with configuration-specific data and explicit evidence limits.

Suggest a correction to this entry →

Follow the evidence

Source types identify who makes the claim. Programme milestones and supplier statements should be read in context.

  1. SYPAQ: DEF129 contract, July 2024 (opens in a new tab)Manufacturer
  2. SYPAQ: deliveries and export-readiness announcement, April 2025 (opens in a new tab)Manufacturer
  3. Corvo: aircraft family and Corvo X description (opens in a new tab)Manufacturer

Explore the connections

Manufacturer indexAustralia

SYPAQ

Aircraft and programme links: Corvo PPDS, Corvo X.

Reviewed 20 Sept 2026Read
Air · Coverage auditOceania

Oceania defence drone coverage audit

2 original research topics reviewed: 0 resolved, 1 partially resolved and 1 still open. The remaining register identifies specific evidence needs.

Reviewed 21 Sept 2026Read